Muddy Waters

Not everything has gone wrong with Harbour Fest, a series of 15 government-funded rock concerts intended to trumpet to the world that Hong Kong is completely over the SARS outbreak of last spring. It has a handsome venue beneath incandescent skyscrapers and world-class acts such as Prince and Santana have played. The Rolling Stones are due this week.

But the festival has become a lightning rod for disgruntlement with the Hong Kong government. Taxpayers realize they're picking up the tab, and many feel that buying a ticket is like paying twice, so attendance has been poor....